ORANGE, CT— A fire Saturday night at TGI Fridays was accidental and started in a kitchen exhaust hood, likely because of a malfunction, Fire Marshal Tim Smith said Sunday. Lack of proper maintenance is another reason of the failure of the hood.
“It had nothing to do with cooking,” Smith said.
An alarm at the restaurant set off by the sprinklers being activated came into fire headquarters just about the same time an astute manager noticed water dripping from the ceiling was discolored, indicating fire, Smith said.
Smith said that because it is a wooden building, the restaurant at 348 Boston Post has sprinklers above and below the ceiling, as required by law.
He said that while the fire was contained to the ceiling area and extinguished quickly between sprinklers and firefighters, there is extensive smoke damage to the entire restaurant, the electricity had to be cut off and the food can’t be kept, so there is no saying when the business will reopen, Smith said.
It was a busy Saturday night and all customers and employees evacuated safely, as employees handled the event well, he said.
“If that building didn’t have sprinklers, it would have been a different outcome now,” Smith said. He said even if not required by code, sprinklers are a great idea.
Fire agencies from Orange, Woodbridge and West Haven responded to the call that came in at 8:44 p.m., Smith said.
Although the sprinkler system worked as it should have, firefighters had to open the roof up to locate the fire and assure the fire was out.
Smith said cleanup by a restoration company is underway.
It is just about always a stovetop fire that gets drawn up into the duct by the fan and spreads to the accumulated grease on the walls.
At that point there is a risk that the metal duct will heat up enough to transfer the fire to adjacent elements of the buildings structure.
There is also a lesser risk that smoke and fire may push out of the duct along a joint. By code all joints in a restaurant exhaust duct must be welded but this is not always respected.
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The range hood can be a source of grease fires. The range hood serves a few functions in the kitchen. Most of us think that it is meant for ridding the home of cooking smells. Alright, it may accomplish that goal, depending on the type of range hood that you have. The main function of the range hood should be to rid your home of moisture from the cooking process. If you have a recirculating type (a unit that blows the air taken from the cooktop back into the house), you need to open a window to vent the moisture from cooking. The next function of the range hood is to remove grease from the air. Small bits of grease will travel up into the air with the moisture. With the fan on, the range hood takes this air, passing it over a filter, and then out of the unit. The filter catches the grease, but many people forget to clean it. These are wire mesh filters that either slide into place over the fan, or they clip into an opening which leads to the fan. You can wash the filter like you would your dishes. What happens on the filter is a build-up of grease can drop like moisture that is collecting on a leaf. Once the grease drops, it can hit the hot surface. I have also seen grease collect on the other surfaces of the range hood, so wiping this appliance down is a good idea. Lastly, a word of advice about a range hood, they often have a light for the cooking surface (I would say always, but you do have different types of range hoods). Make sure that this light is covered. If the light explodes, you will have that glass and other substances in your food. Throw out the food; you do not know what may have dropped into it.
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How to Protect Your Business From Hidden Fire Hazards in Your Hood and Duct System
Another day, another grease fire.
A simple Google search for “restaurant + fire” quickly reveals news articles on more than 60 restaurant fires in the U.S. during the past month alone. Take a closer look and you’ll see a definite pattern emerge regarding the cause of those fires — grease buildup. In fact, according to a recent report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), one in five fires at eating and drinking establishments had “failure to clean” listed as a contributing factor.
The NFPA study showed an average of nearly 8,000 reported fires and $246 million in property damage, with grease related fires costing restaurant owners an average of more than $50 million per year. With statistics like these, it’s easy to see why grease vapor accumulation in hood systems and ductwork is one of the biggest hazards facing commercial kitchens today.
Costly repairs, loss of revenue, and the possibility of temporarily – or permanently – closing your establishment gives even the smallest fire the potential to be a business-ending catastrophe.
From $100,000 worth of damages at a Burger King in Boston, Massachusetts and more than $750,000 in damages at the El Pollo Rico chicken restaurant in Wheaton, Maryland, to a whopping $1 million in damages at the aptly named Flames café in San Jose, California, grease fires are shutting down restaurants of all kinds every single day.
Beware of dangers lurking in your restaurant and protect your business from hidden fire hazards
There’s no denying it. If you don’t keep your kitchen exhaust system clean, you’re going to get burned. When hood systems are not regularly cleaned, as much as three inches of grease can accumulate on the bottom of horizontal duct sections. Improperly cleaned hoods that are supposed to help contain fires may instead accelerate them. Jonathan Hart, a fire protection engineer with the NFPA explains, “When you have a dirty duct, that can act like a fuel.”Some types of grease buildup can even cause fire-extinguishing systems to malfunction by plugging up their mechanisms. According to the NFPA, this grease buildup is one of the primary causes of commercial kitchen fire-extinguishing system failure and only adds to the hazards of improperly cleaned hoods.
Even more frequently overlooked is rooftop grease. Grease vapor travels up through the exhaust system and solidifies onto the fan blades and housing, causing a buildup of grease that eventually runs onto the rooftop. Without a rooftop grease containment system in place, not only does the grease buildup become additional fuel for fires, it can cause significant and costly structural damage. But the problem doesn’t stop there; the grease also becomes an environmental hazard when it runs off into the water drainage system, which can result in regulatory fines from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Don’t fall into the grease trap!
When it comes to fires, a good offense is your best defense. Unfortunately, many busy restaurant operators have trouble finding time to schedule their kitchen exhaust cleaning. But the worst thing you can do is to skip them. Be proactive and establish a cleaning and maintenance plan with a professional hood cleaning company that adheres to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.Another very important part of protecting your establishment against grease related fires is ensuring that you select the right type of hood filters. With so many variables, it’s easy to make mistakes like picking the wrong filter for the job. Our Hood Filter Buying Guide takes the guesswork out of which filter to buy and answers common questions about ensuring the proper fit, correct installation, when to replace, and compliance requirements.
Keeping it clean
Just how often do hood systems and filters need to be cleaned? That usually depends on the type of food prepared and the number of hours your vents are in use per day. Most hood filters perform at their best with a daily or weekly cleaning and a professional cleaning of your entire exhaust system is recommended at least 2 – 3 times per year.It’s important to remember that grease-laden filters are just as dangerous as dirty ductwork. They can also increase your utility costs and affect your health inspection score. However, hood filter cleaning doesn’t have to be difficult. You just need to implement a regular cleaning routine, which will make them last longer and significantly reduce your risk of fire.
This may come as a surprise, but good old-fashioned hand washing remains the most effective way to keep hood filters clean. However, many foodservice operators find it easier to invest in a deep soak system like a Hood Filter Soak Cart. It holds as many as 6 filters for efficient cleaning that minimizes time and labor costs.
Restaurant owners looking for more information on fire safety best practices and requirements may find the National Fire Protection Association website a helpful resource. There, you can find current information on “NFPA 96: Standard For Ventilation Control And Fire Protection Of Commercial Cooking Operations” as well as research, safety and training information.
Start reducing your risk right away
There will always be a risk for fire in commercial kitchens, but following a few simple precautions, restaurant owners can easily lower that risk and safeguard their business.Use approved hoods with grease-tight fittings; make sure you have the right hood filters and make sure they are cleaned on a regular schedule; use a rooftop grease containment system; and schedule routine cleaning and maintenance of your kitchen exhaust system to avoid excess grease accumulation.